


Try Again Tomorrow

by Elisacollette



Series: Try Again Tomorrow [1]
Category: Victorious
Genre: Anxiety, Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape Recovery, Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-28 05:53:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7627639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elisacollette/pseuds/Elisacollette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tori has been missing for three years. She reappears in an unfortunate shape and it leaves her friends with many questions - What happened to her? Where do they go from here? And who will help her when she needs it the most? Jori Friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Found Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a transplant from fanfiction.net for those of you who don't read in both locations. It's one of my favorite stories and series, so I thought I'd start migrating it over.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow."

Chapter 1: You Found Me

_"Lost and insecure_  
_You found me, you found me_  
_Lying on the floor_  
_Surrounded, surrounded_  
_Why'd you have to wait?_  
_Where were you, where were you?_  
_Just a little late_  
_You found me, You found me._ " ~ The Fray

It was a beautiful spring day in California. The temperature was at a moderate 70 degrees and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. Even Jade, in a slightly poor temper after one of the representatives from her record label had annoyed her, appreciated the brightness of the day. She had been recording for most of the morning and had walked out after a label bigwig had refused to allow her to do a song – a song she had written – her way. In the past two years, she had given them two albums that had gone platinum and tours that had made them millions of dollars – the least they could do was to trust her judgment. Knowing that she still had all afternoon and evening without Beck, she had stopped at the grocery store, drug store, and ran several other unimportant errands.

She was walking into the lavish home she shared with Beck when her cell phone rang. Setting a bag filled with groceries on the counter, she saw it was Andre and answered. "Dude, you are in France – how much is this phone call costing you?"

"Jade – I just got a call from Cedars Sinai – the police brought Tori into the emergency room." Jade was silent but was already headed back out the door, her keys in hand. She understood the panic in Andre's voice; the news had caused her own blood pressure to spike.

More than three years had passed since anyone in their group of friends had seen or heard from Tori Vega. Her parents had died in a car accident a week after high school graduation. Even Jade had been speechless throughout that ordeal. Trina had sold the family home out from under her sister and moved to New York, claiming the east coast was better positioned to appreciate her talent. Tori had stayed in college for three semesters before she disappeared without explanation. Andre, Beck, and Cat searched for her. After two days, Jade realized it wasn't a simple ploy for attention and added her assistance to the search.

They had spent over a year looking in every shelter and hospital – scouring every website and showing pictures to every person in every restaurant and bar. Beck and Andre both called the police station on a monthly basis, making sure they knew she was still missing – and that the case was still important to someone. Unsolved mysteries had done a short segment on Tori one year after her disappearance. Now she had resurfaced less than twenty miles from where she had gone missing.

"I'm her emergency contact – but I can't get a flight out until tomorrow."

"You need to finish that damn tour," Jade argued, buckling her seat-belt and starting her black Audi convertible. Her father's guilt had bought her the car for her college graduation. She still wasn't crazy about him – but she did love her car.

"I need to see Tori," Andre argued.

"I'll call you as soon as I know what's going on. Don't you dare get on a plane until I say otherwise." Jade knew the tour Andre was playing was a career maker. If he left part way through, he would potentially lose his chances for future success. Once Andre had agreed to her conditions, she hung up with him and called Beck, leaving him a message to meet her at the hospital. She remembered at the last minute to throw in a "don't worry, I'm fine." The drive was full of traffic and aggravation. It was drawn out, giving Jade plenty of time to worry about where Tori had been for the past three years. She was thankful she was alive – but now she was terrified to know what horror other than death could have possibly kept her away and out of contact for so long.

Walking into the Emergency Room with a confident click of her black heeled boots, Jade gave the nurse at registration Tori's name and was quickly whisked away down several hallways to the ICU. She took in a shaky breath – the ICU was never a good sign. The nurse introduced her to a doctor standing in the hallway, peering intently at an electronic tablet.

"Dr. Garrison, this is Jade West – she's here to see Miss Vega."

"Thank you, Laurie," the woman said kindly. Jade saw a flash of recognition; the woman knew who she was. Remaining professional, the doctor ignored the fact that she was an award-winning recording artist. Instead, she jumped right into the topic at hand. "Ms. West, how do you know Victoria?" She led Jade toward an empty waiting room and held the door open. She sat in a nearby chair, gesturing for Jade to do the same.

"Tori," she corrected the woman. "We're – friends," Jade said for lack of a better word. "We went through high school together – but she disappeared about three years ago – I haven't heard from her since. Andre Harris is her emergency contact – he's in France so he called and asked me to get here as soon as I could." Jade looked uncomfortably at their surroundings. "Is she alright? What happened? Can I see her? Do you know where she's been?" Usually, she was not a woman of many words – but nerves had melded her momentarily into a motor mouth.

The doctor smiled kindly. "Let's take those questions one at a time. The police can tell you a little more about where she's been." She paused. "Tori is in an induced coma right now. Her injuries were so severe and her mental state so – fragile – that she had to be put under to treat."

Jade could practically feel the reverberation from the words swimming through her mind, trying to find some place to settle and make sense. "What the hell happened?"

The doctor shook her head and Jade could see she was fighting tears. A stranger was heartbroken over whatever had happened to Tori – Jade could only imagine how terrible it truly was. "We don't know exactly what happened at this point – but Tori was found in the home of a man who is being charged with murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture, sexual assault, and a variety of other assault charges." Jade's heart fell into her stomach.

"Are you saying that she's been held prisoner for three years?"

"We won't know for certain until she wakes up and can tell us," Dr. Garrett answered judiciously. "But some of the scars are at least that old. So it's very likely, yes." Jade's fingers raised to rub her temples and she fought the lump forming her throat; it was unacceptable to believe that for the past three years, while she was attending classes, recording songs, and writing plays – while she was enjoying time with friends and the boy she loved – Tori was being tortured by an insane man.

"How did they find her?" Jade felt that asking direct questions was going to keep her – at least momentarily – from unraveling.

"He had three women imprisoned in his home – one got away. She was able to lead the police back – and they rescued Tori."

"Is she okay?”

The doctor paled.  “She died from her injuries – not long ago.”

“The other woman they found with Tori?"

"She was dead when they arrived," the doctor said apologetically. "When the police closed in, he injected the two remaining girls – Tori included – with lethal amounts of morphine. Tori's only alive because he missed her vein." Jade's face fell to her hands and she fought tears – she would not cry in front of this stranger.

Dr. Garrett gave her a few minutes before speaking again. "Does she have any family we can contact? I spoke with Mr. Harris briefly – but he's in Europe. He's the only emergency contact we have listed."

"I'll call her sister – but she's a bitch, so don't get your hopes up. Her parents were killed in an accident a few years ago – there's no one else," Jade said quickly. "Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded hesitantly. "Of course. We normally restrict to family in the ICU – but I think we can make this exception. I need to warn you – there is a lot of physical damage. We're treating as many of the lacerations and other injuries as we can – but it's going to be a long road back to health. She is breathing on her own, but her pressures are extremely low, so she'll remain in ICU until those stabilize." They walked together back toward the room.

Jade took three steps into the room. A wave of odors – blood, feces, urine, vomit – a very distinct mix of smells reserved for death – hit her suddenly and forced her to turn on her heel and land in the nearest bathroom. She hovered above the toilet, emptying the contents of her stomach. Dr. Garrett waited patiently while she finished and handed her a bottle of water and a damp paper towel. "She needs you to be strong," the doctor reminded her simply. Jade tried not to scowl; she certainly didn't need this woman telling her what to do. She rinsed her mouth, flushed the toilet, and washed her hands.

Jade glared lightly at the doctor and walked purposefully back to the ICU and straight toward Tori's room. This time she took small breaths through her mouth, avoiding using her olfactory sense at all costs. Tori's long, dark curls were matted and stringy, her hairline caked with oil and what Jade thought was probably blood. Cuts, sores, and bruises could be seen on every visible surface of her once perfect skin. She had always been thin but now she was so emaciated that her skin looked to be stretched over bone. Jade pulled a chair to the side of the bed and sat down before taking Tori's hand in hers.

"We can discuss her treatment—"

"I'd rather wait for my husband," Jade answered honestly. The doctor nodded and moved toward the door.

"If you need anything, just push the nurse call button." Jade nodded. Once the doctor was gone, she took closer stock of her best frenemy. Tori's arrival at Hollywood Arts during their sophomore year had annoyed Jade because it was a reminder that she wasn't always going to be the best or the first choice. But it had also caused her to work harder, to reach further, and to eventually get exactly where she wanted to be. So, despite their differences and her incessant mocking, Jade did not hate Tori.

Perhaps that was why tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat back and watched the slight rise and fall of Tori's chest under the hideous hospital gown. Her perfectly manicured fingers remained intermingled with Tori's bruised and battered ones as she sat back and played the part of sentry.


	2. Home

Chapter 2 – Home

_Home is the place where, when you have to go there,_  
 _They have to take you in._  
~Robert Frost,  _The Death of the Hired Man_

Beck arrived close to midnight. Jade had ignored all of the nurses who had indicated she couldn't stay in the ICU overnight and had camped out in the extremely uncomfortable chair next to Tori's bed. He lifted her into his arms and sat in the chair, curling his wife into his lap. "Who does something like this?" She asked him, her lips pressed close to his ear.

"I wish I knew, babe," he said softly, hugging her tighter. They were both awake for most of the night and finally gave up any pretense of sleeping around five when Beck disappeared to find coffee before Jade killed any of the nice, cheerful nurses.

It was almost seven in the morning when the doctor returned to Tori's room and spent time examining her wounds and checking on a variety of machines. She asked Jade and Beck to come to her office and they obliged. Jade was torn; she understood why they weren't having the conversation in the room, but she hated to leave Tori right after she had been found.

"She's in good hands," Beck reminded Jade, putting his hand against the small of her back and leading her toward the doctor's office. Once they were seated, the woman immediately began recounting Tori's predicament.

"Jade didn't want me to repeat this twice – so she asked me to wait for you," the doctor said gently. Beck nodded and bit back a smile. What the doctor didn't know was that Jade had already scoured Tori's file and was highly aware of everything that was about to be divulged. She didn't like to be surprised; especially in front of strangers. "When Tori was brought it, she was immediately treated for a morphine overdose. Once she was stable, we starting treating her wounds. The ones we are most concerned about are the ligature cuts around her wrists, thighs, and ankles. They've gone so deep in some place that she was within millimeters or hitting a major artery. We're treating them – but we may need to do skin grafts if they don't start healing on their own."

Jade had seen the places where Tori had been bound – and how deep and raw the grooves were. She'd been in the room when the nurse had come in to change the bandages the night before. She could only imagine how hard Tori had fought to cause that kind of damage. Beck felt her shudder; his hand gripped hers more firmly.

"We've done x-rays and found that several bones had been broken and set improperly. She'll have a limp on the left side – but we can treat that with physical therapy. "

"When will she wake up?" Beck asked.

"When the drugs are out of her system," Dr. Garrett answered. "We're stepping them down so it happens slowly. Otherwise, it will be too great a shock to her system." The doctor spent the next thirty minutes outlining the plans for treatment once Tori awoke from the coma. It left both Beck and Jade with feelings of anxiety and anger. Tori was found, but she certainly wasn't getting her life back anytime soon.

Outside Tori's room, Beck and Jade stood against the window and talked quietly. He believed Trina needed to be contacted immediately while Jade felt Trina had made her decision years ago as to whether or not she wanted to be a sister. Eventually, the brunette relented. She promised to call Trina and Cat if Beck took care of keeping Robbie and Andre up to date.

"Are you going to the recording studio today?" Beck asked, his hand rubbing gently up and down her arm.

"It seems pretty insignificant right now," Jade answered. "I make my own schedule – so no, not today. But you have to go to work."

"Yeah," Beck answered, running his free hand though his hair. "The director wasn't thrilled when I mentioned I'd be late today. I'll try and get back as soon as I can."

"Just make those phone calls for me – and I'll keep you up to date. There's nothing you can do here anyway." Beck thought to point out that the same could be said for her, but he knew that would result in an argument or hurt feelings; and they certainly didn't have time for either. He leaned down, kissed his wife deeply, and dropped another kiss at the top of her head for good measure.

Once Beck was gone, Jade walked into the room and sat next to Tori for a few minutes before picking up her pear phone. She informed Tori's nurse that she would be right back and walked outside to a cluster of gardens and benches. Phones were forbidden in the ICU.

The phone rang four times before Trina answered. "Hello, Trina speaking," she gushed.

"It's Jade," she said, her voice angry.

"What do you want?"

"The police found your sister, in case you care."

"Of course I care, silly," Trina chirped. "Where is she? Did she decide to check out Europe – I thought that's what she might have done."

"Trina! Shut up! She wasn't traveling. She's hurt. She was kidnapped and held as a prisoner for three years. You need to get your ass on a plane right now."

"I can't do that. I have my show—"

"She is your sister," Jade seethed. "She needs you right now. I don't give a damn about your show."

"Tori has never needed me," Trina informed her, a hint of sadness bubbling through the chipper façade. "I have to go. Tell Tori I said hey." Jade's blood boiled as the line went dead. She did breathing exercises as she walked back to the ICU, intent upon not bringing negative feelings into contact with Tori. Jade read a lot. Much more than most people would expect or give her credit for. She'd read enough about people in comas to know that they could feel and hear and detect – and she was determined Tori would not have any more stress that she was already dealing with.

Later that morning, Jade was reading a play aloud to Tori when her nurse entered the room with another woman. "Jade," the nurse said with a smile, "this is Katie, one of our nursing students working on the floor. She's going to help get Tori cleaned up a bit more." The nurse left to do her rounds and Jade set the book aside and watched with hawk eyes as Katie moved around the room.

She had a small basket with her, from which she pulled a comb. She laid out a clean cloth on the over-the-bed table. "She has lice," Katie said apologetically. "They used a dry shampoo to kill them in the ER, but we still need to get them out." She sat on the edge of Tori's bed and gently pulled all of her hair to far side. She used the extremely thin comb to go through each layer of hair and remove the tiny nits that were unfortunately difficult to see with Tori's hair color.

"Do you mind if I read?" Jade asked. "I've heard a lot of people say patients in comas can hear what's going on – so I thought I should do something."

"I don't mind at all," Katie answered. "I'll be here for a while."

It took Katie close to three hours to go through all of Tori's hair. Jade had finished the play and moved onto a second. Once Katie was finished with the combing, she used a dry shampoo and brushed Tori's hair until it shone. She carefully washed Tori's face, moving gingerly around the wounds but scrubbing hard enough to truly get through the dirt and oil. Once she was finished, she reapplied antibiotic to the scratches and cuts and dabbed medicated Chap Stick onto Tori's lips.

"Thank you," Jade said softly when she finished.

"No problem," Katie answered. "She does look much better. And with time, she'll improve even more." Jade nodded. It was significantly easier to look at Tori once she looked clean and fresh.

Tori was in a coma for three days. Jade spent a majority of her time in the hospital room, reading books, working on screen plays, and writing songs. She had brought her portable keyboard and played softly as she worked. Occasionally she would play a song from high school, hoping the familiarity would get through to Tori. Beck came by as often as possible but since he was working as the lead on his first feature film, he was often on set. It took two days for Cat to request time from her musical, get a plane from New York, and arrive in Los Angeles. She had taken a taxi directly from the airport to the hospital.

She stood with Jade next to the hospital bed, her lips quivering as she fought tears. She played nervously with her hands, wringing them and picking at her once-perfect pink manicure. Tiny noises, something between a cry and a moan, were caught in her throat. "What happened to her?" she asked, sadly, begging Jade for answers.

"We don't really know," Jade managed to say. She allowed Cat a hug, knowing that was what the smaller girl needed. She knew more than she was saying – but nothing that Cat could handle.

"Is she going to be okay?" Cat asked into Jade's shoulder.

"Of course," Jade promised. "She's home now." Jade pulled another chair up to the bedside for Cat and they talked quietly. Jade was doing most of the talking, as Cat was barely able to concentrate beyond Tori. Her eyes kept scanning the brunette, trying to decide what she as seeing. Tiny cries and sighs emitted from her lips as Jade peppered her with questions about her job, her apartment, and her life in New York.

Cat had only been in the room for an hour when Tori's eyes started to blink open for the first time in days. Jade, sitting on the right side of the bed, grabbed Tori's hand and watched for more signs. "Tori? It's Jade – and Cat. Can you open your eyes?" Eventually she did and Jade could see the panic and pain emanating from her expression. "Cat, go get a nurse," Jade said, partially for the need of a medical professional – but mostly to get Cat out of the room. The redhead scampered away. "Tori," Jade said softly. "It's alright. You're safe here." Tori tried to sit up, tried to jump out of the bed – but Jade was faster, holding her by both shoulders. "Calm down," she ordered. "You have to calm down before the nurse gets here – or they're going to knock you out again. You need to stay still and take slow breaths – do you understand?" Tori nodded and Jade sat back down, her hands leaving Tori's shoulders and settling for holding her left hand.

"Deep breath," Jade reminded her. Tori did as she was told as Jade walked her though several breathing exercises. She was much calmer by the time Cat returned with the nurse on call and Dr. Garrett.

Jade was shocked when the doctor arrived and started asking her questions. Tori's words came in slow, slurred stammers that were barely recognizable as a human voice – let alone the voice belonging to Victoria Vega.


	3. A Long and Painful Fight

_"Heaven bent to take my hand_   
_And lead me through the fire_   
_Be the long awaited answer_   
_To a long and painful fight"_

~ from "Fallen" by Sarah McLachlan

Jade and Cat sat to the side while the doctor spent a good ten minute examining Tori's throat with a variety of lights and scopes.

"Why can't she talk?" Cat asked innocently.

"It could be any number of things," the doctor said calmly. "Don't panic. We'll have to do more testing – but it is very likely reversible." Jade knew there was more that the doctor wasn't sharing; Cat was the reason. People didn't like to talk about dark and scary things in front of the tiny redhead.

"Cat, can you go and call Beck and Andre and Robbie and tell them that Tori's awake?" Jade asked. "You have to go to the front lobby to use your cell phone. Make sure to tell Robbie and Andre about your trip from New York."

"Kay kay," Cat said happily, skipping away. Jade closed the door and took a seat next to the bed.

"That will keep her busy for a while," Jade said. "Now what is wrong with her voice?" The doctor pulled a chair close to the other side of the bed and faced Tori. It was only polite to speak to the person being discussed.

"Whatever caused the bruising on your neck probably caused a lot of internal bruising. That would make it painful to speak. That should go away with time." She paused. Tori stared at her, waiting to hear an answer – she knew that wasn't all of it. "As for the stutter, it could be psychological – undue stress can cause stuttering. " She paused again, her yes locking with Tori's. "Or it could be a result of the electrocution."

"What?" Jade asked sharply.

"When Katie was working on your hair," the doctor said, ignoring Jade and focusing on Tori, "she found several burn marks. Did he use electric shock on you?" Tori nodded, her teeth worrying the bottom of her lip. "Well," the doctor said briskly, "no matter what caused it, we can try to correct it with therapy. Do you know how long it has been since you could talk without pain?" Tori shook head, eyes glassy with tears. "That's okay," the doctor said, "we will figure it out." She could see she was agitating Tori, so she moved on.

"Tomorrow, your physical therapist is going to come in to visit and do a quick exam to figure out what the course of treatment will be. The faster we get you out of this bed, the better." Tori simply stared at her. "Later this afternoon, Isabelle Greeley, our best psychiatrist, is going to stop in to see you."

"Do you have any questions?"

Jade handed her a tablet and pen from the bedside table. Tori concentrated but couldn't get the pen to cooperate. Eventually, Jade helped her get her fingers around it and supported her hand as she wrote. In loopy, squiggled, very-un-Tori-like letters, she spelled out her question.

"How did I get here?"

"There is a detective outside who wants to speak with you – and I'm going to let her answer that one. Any medical questions right now? " Tori shook her head. "Alright. I'm going to leave you to the detective. But if you need anything – you hit the call button and the nurses will find me. Sound okay?" Tori nodded. When the doctor left, she looked at Jade and pointed toward the water pitcher. Jade filled a cup and plunked in a straw, holding it steady while the other woman drank.

They were joined in less than a minute by a woman Jade had already spoken to several times. Jessica George was a federal agent who specialized in crimes against women. She had been called in because one of the kidnapped girls was from over the state line, making the case a federal instead of a local one.

"Hi, Tori," she said pleasantly. She held out her hand and Tori took it gingerly. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Jessica George with the FBI. Please call me Jessica. I'm glad you're awake. How are you feeling?" Tori grimaced, causing both Jade and Jessica to smile. "I can understand that. Let's get to the most important point – the bastard who did this to you – he's behind bars right now."

Tears sprang to Tori's eyes and she buried her face in her hands, trying to hide them. She couldn't control it – no matter how hard she tried. The sobs overtook her overly thin frame and she was surprised when she felt Jade's cool, slim fingers gently rubbed her back and neck. "He can't hurt you anymore," Jade promised softly. Once Tori was able to settle down, she picked up the notepad she had written on before and offered it to Jessica. She read the question and nodded.

"One of the other girls escaped and led the police back to the house where he was keeping you. You've been here for three days."

"How long there?" Tori wrote in her clumsy hand. The agent looked at Jade, who she thought would be a better person to drop the bomb.

"Just over three years," Jade said softly, her fingers wrapping around Tori's free hand. Tori's expression crumpled and the tears came again, racking her overly thin frame with spasms. She sobbed until she choked and vomited. Jade was quick enough with the emesis basin to save them both from the fallout. Despite Jade's reassurances and calming words, Tori flew into a panic and couldn't come down from it. The machine monitoring her heart began to beep and a nurse entered the room with quick strides. She took a syringe from her pocket and stuck it into the IV line.

"Tori, we're going to give you something to help you relax. It'll just take a minute."

"No," Tori cried painfully, but that was as far as she got before the drug took over and her eyes grew heavy.

"It's okay," Jade promised, holding her hand and guiding her back into a comfortable position on the bed. "It's okay." She knew it as a lie. Nothing was okay. But Tori was alive and awake. And that was better than the alternative.

While she slept off the tranquilizer, Tori was moved. Since the ICU was no longer a necessity, she was moved to a private room in the neurology ward. Dr. Garrett explained it was because of the trauma and stress to her nervous system that she was on that particular floor. Jade didn't care as long as it was away from the stench and constant noise and commotion of the ICU. Beck arrived around eight that evening to find Cat asleep in Jade's lap on a love seat in the corner of the room. He pulled a chair next to his wife and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Hi," he whispered against her lips.

"Hi," she responded, exhaustion seeping through her voice.

"Take Cat home for the night," Beck suggested. "I don't work tomorrow – I'll stay with Tori – and call you if anything changes."

"No," Jade argued.

"Yes," Beck responded softly, his hand falling to rub the back of her neck. "I saw Dr. Garrett in the hallway. She said Tori won't wake up until tomorrow morning. " He paused before adding, "Please."

"Fine," Jade answered. They kissed once more before she shook Cat awake. The tiny redhead bounced quickly from asleep to awake, her eyes alert and clear.

"Is Tori awake?" she wanted to know immediately.

"No," Jade answered. "She'll be asleep until tomorrow. We're going home for tonight – Beck is going to stay here."

"Kay Kay," Cat said simply. She stood and walked over to the bed, dropping a kiss on Tori's forehead before going to the door and picking up her bright pink suitcase. Jade accepted a strong hug from Beck before following Cat and picking up her own bag and car keys.

Jade hadn't been home for more than a few minutes since Tori had been found. However, the luxury of having a cleaning company meant that her home was as spotless as she liked it. Locking the door behind them and setting the alarm, Jade went into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of water for herself and a bottle of sugar-free juice from Cat's reserves.

"Do you want something to eat?" Cat shook her head; she was tired and troubled – never a good combination. "I'm going to shower and try to sleep. Do you need anything?" Cat shook her head again and watched as the brunette ascended the back stairwell to the second floor. After a moment alone in the kitchen, Cat followed and continued on to the third floor where she had her very own suite.

When Beck and Jade had originally purchased the house, Cat was still living with them in California. So, a bedroom, sitting room, bathroom, and walk-in closet were all hers. It made traveling from the east to west coast much easier – she barely had to pack. She showered, changed into a pair of pink cotton pajamas, and crawled under the perfectly laundered covers. Twenty minutes passed and her eyes never once closed. Carefully, she crept out of bed, her favorite stuffed bear under her arm, and padded softly down the stairs to Jade's room. She knocked on the door and waited for permission before she entered.

Jade was in bed, the soft purple sheets pulled up over her black cotton pajamas. The lights were out, but there was enough light from outside to illuminate her form. "Can I come in?" Cat asked, her voice small – almost lost in the large master bedroom.

"Just for tonight," Jade agreed, pulling back the covers on Beck's side of the bed. Cat clambered underneath, the teddy bear snuggled under one arm as she curled against her best friend. Jade was awake for most of the night but eventually Cat's soft, regular breathing and the slight thud of her heartbeat lulled the brunette into a much needed repose.

The next morning, Cat woke to an empty bed and carried her teddy bear down the stairs and into the kitchen where, to her excitement, she found Jade making her favorite – chocolate chip pancakes. Once they sat down with the sugary breakfast, Cat was fully awake and as chatty as usual.

After fielding questions about everything from the weather to how she got the pulp out of the orange juice, Jade was not prepared for insightfulness on Cat's part. "Who hurt Tori?"

Jade paused mid-sip of her coffee and set the mug down on the kitchen table. They'd never told Cat that someone had hurt Tori; only that she was sick and needed a lot of time and help to get better. But despite her innocence and general lack of common sense, Cat was not stupid.

"A bad man," Jade answered simply. "He's in jail. He can't hurt anyone else."

"Okay," Cat answered, before rolling into a story about how she'd gone through an entire Broadway show without her shoes. Jade shook her head and tried to keep up.


	4. Not What They Take Away

" _Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts - it's what you do with what you have left_." ~Hubert Humphrey

Sunday was Cat's last day in town. She needed to get back to New York before the Monday evening performance. Beck thought it was important she have time alone with Tori so he dragged Jade to the hospital cafeteria to buy two cups of barely passable coffee.

"We haven't talked since all of this started," Beck said once they were seated next to one another in the corner of a booth. "What are you thinking?"

"I just don't understand how a human being can do that to another human being. I understand being mean. I'm mean most of the time. But being cruel and actually hurting someone – "

"You are not mean," Beck argued. "You are a good person. And the guy that did this to Tori – he is not a good person. It's that simple." They both knew it wasn't that simple, but the subject was dropped. Theoretical conversation became practical planning. "I think I convinced Andre to stay in Europe and finish his tour. I promised him we'd Skype with him tonight at 10 – it'll be 7 in the morning over there." Jade nodded; she hoped that could all stay awake that long; it has been an exhausting few days.

There was a comfortable silence for several minutes before Beck brought up a subject he'd been pondering. "How are her hospital bills being paid?" He asked, his eyes focused on his wife, who was doing her very best to look at every other inch of their surroundings. Meeting his eyes was not in her short term plans. He got the gist immediately – and it was as he imagined. "I don't mind if you're paying them – but we should look into alternatives. I'm sure there is some kind of government program – "

"And then she'll have to share a room with some gross person and not have the best possible doctors," Jade argued. "We have the money."

"We do," Beck agreed. "Do you think – maybe – it was something we could have discussed first?"

"I guess," Jade answered sullenly. "Sorry." The apology was a bit flippant but Beck knew there was sincerity behind it.

"You don't have to be sorry. You're trying to do the right thing," Beck said softly, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Have you spoken to Trina again?"

"I tried once – she said no."

"You need to try again. Tori needs her family."

"Then you call," Jade answered. "I'm done with that whack job."

"I'll try again – see if I have any luck," Beck responded before resting his chin on Jade's head.

"If she comes to town – she is staying in a hotel," Jade responded firmly. Beck chuckled and hugged her closer. They sat and talked about normal things – his work, her work – until just before lunch.

When they returned to Tori's room, they came bearing food and the four friends ate together – it was as pleasant an experience as could be created in a hospital room. Cat was phenomenally good at keeping spirits high as she prattled on about her musical and her litany of friends in New York. A little after one, Beck announced it was time for Cat to say her goodbyes. The redhead, who had been sitting next to Tori on the hospital bed, hugged her carefully and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll come back next month," Cat promised. "I get seven says off in a row." Tori smiled and grasped Cat's hands.

"Love you," she said softly.

"Don't talk – I know it hurts you. But I love you too, Tori." Cat hugged her one more time and crossed the room to throw her arms around Jade, who gave a paltry effort to feign annoyance. Eventually and gave up the pretense, stood, and wrapped her arms around the small redhead.

"Be careful. Do you know you have all of your tickets and everything you need?" Cat grinned and pecked Jade on the cheek.

"You gave it all to me this morning," Cat reminded her. Beck walked Cat to the lobby of the hospital and made sure she got to her cab headed for the airport before returning to Tori's room.

Thanks to her desperation to see her best friend for the first time in years, Tori was still awake at ten when Beck contacted Andre on Skye by way of his PearPad. Beck placed it in its holder and set it onto the over-the-bed table. It gave Andre a complete view of Tori in the bed and Jade in the chair to her right.

"Hey, girl," Andre said tremulously, his best acting skills unable to compensate for the pain and joy of seeing her again. Tori waved and blew him a kiss. She wiped tears from her eyes and reached for the white board she'd been using.

"I missed you," she wrote, showing it to the camera. It took every ounce of his reserve not to cry.

"I missed you too, Tori. I'm so happy you're home. How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," she wrote.

"Well, I'll be home as soon as I can – I'm sorry I wasn't around when they found you." Tori took a moment to scribble something before showing him the board.

"I want you to finish your tour," it said in very clear letters. Jade didn't even try to hide her smirk. Beck shook his head at her from across the room, but he too had his lips turned up in a small smile.

"Ah, so Jade got to you?" Andre asked. "Tori – the tour doesn't matter."

"It does," Tori wrote. She had to write it in two parts, but eventually she told him – "I am so proud of you. And I can't wait to see you – after the tour." She tried to glare at him lightly but it came out as a smile. One of the first smiles they'd seen.

"Alright," Andre answered. "But don't let Jade give you any trouble."

"Never," Tori wrote, showing it to him with a wry smile. Jade scoffed and sat back in her chair.

"You're both lucky I'm here," she said dryly. "So stop poking fun at my expense. Andre – say goodbye and get to work. She needs to sleep. In case you can't do the math – it's late here." Tori blew Andre a kiss and wrote – "break a leg – I love you."

"Love you too, Tori. Take care of yourself. Goodnight Beck and Jade."

"Night, man," Beck said.

"Good night," Jade said simply. Beck logged out of the chat and excused himself to find sustenance. "You alright?" Jade asked, handing Tori several tissues from a nearby box. Tori nodded, wiping at her eyes. "His tour is just for three more weeks."

"I missed three years," Tori wrote on the board once she'd calmed herself.

"You can't think like that," Jade said solemnly. "You've gotta think about all the time you have left – and there's a lot of it." She paused and her voice gained humor once more. "Now go to sleep before I find some nurse to come and knock you out." Tori rolled her eyes but allowed Jade to help her into a more comfortable position. Before Beck returned from his errands, Tori was sleeping.

Monday was one trying event after another. Tori had slept fitfully the night before, waking herself and Jade several times with the screaming and thrashing that accompanied her nightmares. On Monday morning, when Dr. Garrett said this was a positive sign, Jade stared longingly at the scissors on a nearby tray and thought about what they could do to the doctor – who had clearly enjoyed a full nights' rest. But, according to the good doctor, it meant that Tori was moving forward from the zombie-like stupor that malnutrition, dehydration, and drugs had put her into. Tori also looked less than amused at the doctor's reassurances. After an unappetizing breakfast that practically had to be shoved down her throat by an annoyed Jade, Tori was dragged off to be subjected to a variety of tests her doctor and physical therapist had ordered.

Jade, in the meantime, was working on the insurance issue. After her less-than-detailed conversation with Beck, she'd realized he was right. To a point. Not that she would admit it out loud, but she was going to do something about it. So, her goal for the day was to get Tori covered under public welfare – and then to make up the difference between mediocre and stellar care with her own checkbook. Jade did not like dealing with state employees. They were all idiots.

By the time she returned to Tori's room that afternoon, she was livid. Tori's eyes widened in slight alarm as she perceived the anger rolling from Jade's expression. "People are stupid," Jade said in a shaky tone.

"Any reason?" Tori asked, with the aid of her trusty whiteboard.

"No," Jade said stubbornly, realizing she didn't want to discuss the insurance issues with Tori. "Do you know where your birth certificate would have ended up?"

"With Trina?" Tori wrote, shrugging her shoulders. "I need my glasses too." Jade sighed and nodded; that would probably be helpful. Now that she wasn't spending most of her time sleeping, being able to see clearly would be a benefit.

"I'll see what I can do. How did the tests go?" Tori made a face and shrugged her shoulders. She clearly didn't want to talk about it; Jade didn't push. "What's up for this afternoon?"

"Shrink," Tori wrote simply.

"What time?"

"Three." Jade decided to leave Tori to take a nap while she searched for the birth certificate and glasses; it would hopefully give her enough time to get back by the end of Tori's first official session with the psychologist. She couldn't imagine how it could possibly go well. She explained her plan to Tori – without explaining her reasons for wanting to be back – and set off for the parking lot. On her way, she dialed Trina Vega.

It rang and eventually went to voicemail; Jade knew she was being ignored. Climbing behind the wheel of her car, Jade spoke as evenly as possible. "Trina Vega. You stop being a complete bitch and call me back in the next ten minutes or I'm going to come to the east coast and make your life a living hell." It made her feel better to take her anger out on someone who deserved it. Still sitting in the parking lot, she texted Andre – asking if he knew where all of Tori's belongings had gone.

Trina called her back in three minutes. "I could turn this message over to the police and have you arrested for threatening me."

"Go ahead," Jade answered. "But first – where is Tori's stuff?"

"How should I know?"

"You are her sister," Jade reminded her impatiently. "Where did you put her stuff when she disappeared? I know you're not still paying for the dorm room. And where is her birth certificate? It would have been in your parents' house – or maybe in a bank security deposit box somewhere. Do you know where?"

"Andre put everything into storage, I think," Trina answered. "I don't know where the papers are – my parents stuff is in storage with Tori's stuff – she wanted it. I didn't."

"Who has the key?"

"How should I know?" Jade hung up before Trina could continue her thought. Andre had answered her quickly – and told her just where to find the key to the storage facility. She thanked him and left the parking structure, heading toward her own home to find Andre's spare key. Two stops later, she was in a fairly large storage locker a few blocks from where Tori had been living in college. Andre had labeled everything, so it was simple to find her glasses in a box that said "Bedroom – Nightstand." The birth certificate and social security card would take more luck.

After two hours of searching and so much sneezing – she lamented her dust allergy many times that afternoon – she found the documents in a fireproof lock box inside an old trunk that also held good silver and hand-sewn table cloths. She returned to the hospital in time to pass a doctor leaving Tori's room. A nurse was in the room, taking Tori's vitals. Jade looked at her questioningly and the woman said – "the doctor ordered a sedative. She just fell to sleep." Jade nodded and set her bag on the floor.

"How long will she be out?"

"A few hours," the nurse answered. True to her word, Tori began to wake three hours later when Beck was arriving with dinner that was clearly better than the typical hospital fare. Since Tori needed desperately to gain weight and she did nothing more than pick at what was sent to her room, the doctors and nurses didn't argue too much when Beck or Jade brought in food from her favorite restaurants.

Jade and Beck tried to keep a conversation going about his new movie but Tori was clearly in no mood to have company. She lay down soon after she'd eaten and refused any attempts at engagement. Eventually, Jade gave up and dropped a kiss on her forehead, reminding her that Beck was staying that evening and she would return in the morning.

After walking Jade to her car, Beck returned to Tori to find that the brunette had been crying. He sat in a chair near the bed and pulled it closer, leaning forward until their eyes met. "I can't imagine how hard today was," he said, referring to her first session with the therapist. "But remember that every day you're alive and with the people you love – it's one more day he loses. Don't let him take any more of your life." He wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to cry herself to sleep.


End file.
